The Regiment of Twilight: Overture
by Kingdom Come
Summary: The Twilight Knights consists of some 'different' characters, to say the least, but how did they all come to be in the most secretive and powerful squadron in Atmos? Starling, the strong, famous, loner of a Sky Knight, finds herself in their strange world, and learns a few things about herself along with her new squadron members. T for language, violence, sexual content, and drama
1. Prologue: Calling All Twilight Knights

Prologue.

Calling All Twilight Knights

It was as though a jolt of burning electricity was sent through her spine. The natural order had been usurped and she sensed so, even from one thousand feet above the world below. Her pale eyes opened slowly as she looked around the cold white room. She, along with the towering walls that surrounded her, glowed with an ethereal quality that was entirely indescribable. She hovered several feet off of the floor, suspended within her trance. However as the pulse of evil emitted through the air, she awoke, and planted her delicate feet gingerly upon the ground. She had only felt such a wave of darkness and overwhelming doom once before, but that was long ago.

She threw open the doors of the meditation chamber, and quickly rushed down the hallway, her small feet making light delicate sounds tapping against the platinum metal of the carrier. She reached a large elevator platform, and descended through the various levels of the ship. As the platform began to descend, it was noted that no one was on board the ship, although, she had wanted it this way. She liked solitude, and the more people running about her vessel, the harder it was for her to get it.

She stepped on to the flight deck, where a tall and tan woman with long azure hair was standing at the helm. The woman turned to her, and gave her a salute, and without a word, she moved past her, to a glass case beside the helm of the ship. She gently opened it, and inside was a clear floating crystal. She waved her pale hands over the surface, and the stone began to emit a bright white light. She then turned to the woman with the azure hair who gave her a stern and solemn look

"It's something bad…isn't it?" The azure haired woman asked, looking down at a small copper device in her hands, as it began to pulse with the same white light.

"Indeed," She nodded, pulling a strand of her snow white hair out of her pallid face, "You know where to take the ship…I have to talk to a particular Sky Knight before I meet you all."

"I am confused though," The azure haired woman began, "The Twilight Knights haven't been formally gathered in ages…Advent, is what you sensed really that magnanimous?"

"I fear that it is," She nodded, moving towards the hangar bay hatch at the opposite side of the flight deck, "I will tell you more in due time Nova my dear…but for now, all that I ask of you, is to gather the Twilight Knights on Atmosia…I will meet you back here on the Tempest soon."

"But who are you going to speak with?" The azure haired woman inquired before she closed the hatch of the hangar bay.

"You'll find out soon enough," She replied, as the hatch sealed shut. There were only two skimmers in the entire hangar, which was odd, given that the bay was so large, that it could accommodate some thirty or forty. She moved towards the most pristine white vehicle, besides a rather angular, jet black one, and climbed on to it. She revved the engine, but before she could take off, the blood curdling shiver of doom was sent down her spine once more.

She had only felt a pulse like this once in her life, and she knew that one day she might feel it again, but perhaps not so soon. See, she was more attune to these natural imbalances than others were, given that her kind usually was. Still, she revved the engine of her skimmer, and took off down the airstrip, and into some rather dark and dismal weather. The cold, damp air stung her face as she flew through the sky.

Meanwhile, back on board the nearly empty carrier, the Azure haired woman walked on to the flight deck. She headed towards the control panel, and began entering in several coordinates. She then pushed down on a small white button. After doing so, the button began to pulse with a dull white light, making a faint beeping sound as it did so. She then pulled out a small copper device, that simply looked like a rounded oval crystal set within the metal ring. It was pulsing in sync with the button she had just pressed. The beacon signal had been activated for the first time in years.

"I hope you know what you're doing Advent," She sighed, leaning over the control panel, and looking out into the cold storm that was brewing before her, "For all Atmos' sake, I hope this isn't another false alarm…"

At that moment, all over Atmos, fighters from every terra were similarly removing their beacons, knowing what was about to happen. For the first time in years, the Twilight Knights were about to convene on their grand city in the sky. Each warrior knew what to do, leaving their lives (what little they had) and heading for their skimmers to fly off into the sky. However, there was one Knight still missing from the squadron, who was unaware of her destiny.

The woman in white touched down on the terra Atmosia. It was sunset, although it was difficult to tell, given that dark gray clouds hung in the sky. She dismounted her perfectly white skimmer. And began heading through the streets of the city, her white hood covering her face. She walked to the center of the city square, looking around at all of the faces, looking to her with curiosity. Although, the face she was looking for was not here. She took note of the beacon tower, where she saw the banner of the Storm Hawks squadron waving in the wind. She smiled, as she began walking towards the tower. She reached the base of the building, where she saw a violet and rusty orange skimmer, sitting lazily out front.

"Now where is your rider?" She asked the vehicle as though it would actually answer her, running her fingers gently across the metal.

"Excuse me?" A the voice of a young woman asked, "Who are you, and why are you looking at my ride? Looking to steal it?"

"Starling?" She asked, taking her white hood down, "Formerly of the Interceptors, I presume?" She smiled, turning around to face the young woman. She was in her late twenties, with dark violet hair, and emerald eyes. Indeed, this was Starling.

"I am…" Starling replied cautiously, taking a step towards the woman, "But who are you?"

"My name is Advent," She smiled, extending her hand out towards Starling, "And I have a proposition for you my dear."

* * *

><p>[Message from Kingdom Come]: Woohoo! An awesome little prequel to the Regiment of Twilight! I will not finish it before I finish volume II of the original story (because then it would spoil stuff in volume II ;) anyway, this is the only part of the story that will be written via 3rd person omnicent. From here on out, the story is going to be told through multiple perspectives :) It should be fun :D Hope you guys are as faithful to this as the Regiment of Twilight!<p> 


	2. Chapter 1: Starling

Chapter I.

Starling

I remember standing there, with all of Atmos watching as the Storm Hawks flew through the door to the far-side. They always did give us hope. I remember the light that came form the door just as it closed, and then I remember it being gone almost instantly. It was almost as though the light was our hope, and it died just as they had left us. I knew that there was nothing left on Atmos that could truly hurt us, not like the Cyclonians did anyway, but I couldn't help but feel as though the day the Storm Hawks left, was the day that the happiness was drained from Atmos, and from my life. I lost my squadron some years ago, and those children were all I had left. Or so I had thought.

It was no more than a month after the event had taken place. It was dusk, and I could tell there was a storm coming, a bad one. But for whatever reason, I was at the beacon tower, just staring up at the faint light it gave off. I watched the Storm Hawk's banner wave, and I was struck with a bit on nostalgia. I missed them. I went to walk into beacon tower on Atmosia, looking up at the darkened sky above me.

_I don't recall anyone saying it would rain today._ I thought, looking up at the sky, and continued moving towards the door to the tower. I wasn't sure why I was going there. I just felt as though it was some place I needed to be. I had just barely closed the door to the tower when I heard a voice outside.

"Now where is your rider?" I heard the voice inquire, as clear as day, even through the metal.

"Excuse me?" I asked, throwing the door open and heading towards the figure. From what I could tell, it was a woman. She was small, and dressed in a white cloak. She didn't look sinister, but she did look suspicious, "Who are you, and why are you looking at my ride? Looking to steal it?" I demanded, maybe a bit harshly, although there were plenty of thieves and low-lives running about Atmosia, now that the Storm Hawks were gone (Although, to this day, I am still not sure how their leaving is related to the crime rate in Atmos).

"Starling?" She asked of me, as she pulled the hood of her cloak away. Her voice was calm and soothing. It was then, when I knew this woman meant me no harm, "Formerly of the Interceptors, I presume?" She asked quietly, still looking to my ride.

"I am…" I replied, not letting my guard down. She didn't move, rather, she was still facing away from me, looking over my ride. Curiously, I began walking towards her, "But who are you?"

"My name is Advent," She smiled, turning to face me, and extending her hand towards me, as though to shake it, "And I have a proposition for you my dear."

My eyes widened as my eyes fell upon her face. She was the spitting image of Master Cyclonis. She appeared to be rather young, maybe no older than the master herself. Her hair was pure white, and her eyes were the most calming blue. If it hadn't been for her voice, I might have thought that she _was_ Master Cyclonis. I had no idea what to say to her. Honestly, I was in such a state of shock. I stumbled, searching for words to say. She said nothing. She just laughed slightly, as she pulled her hand away.

"I understand that appearances can be quite deceiving," She stated, giving me a light smile, "But I assure you, I am not here to bid you any ill will. I come as am ally and a friend."

"W-what did you say your name was?" I asked of her, taking another step towards her.

"Advent," She replied calmly. As I said before, I knew this wasn't Master Cyclonis. To falsify looks is one thing, but there was something about this woman's voice, "My name is Advent Dawnrunner. I happen to-"

"I'm so sorry," I began, holding up my hands to her, recognizing the name instantly, "Dawnrunner…as in the famous Dawnrunner clan of Cyclonia? I thought they disappeared hundreds of years ago."

"To the contrary," Advent replied, not at all offended by my interrupting her, "We are alive and well…as I am sure you're already thinking, the Dawnrunner genes run strong."

"Evidently," I replied, trying not to stare. It was just that the resemblance was so striking. She noticed anyway, and laughed slightly.

"Although, my daughter happens to be the reason I wish to speak to you today," Advent stated solemnly. I looked up at her with confusion.

"_Daughter_?" I asked, looking at Advent curiously, "Certainly you can't mean Master Cyclonis?" I asked with disbelief.

"Is that so unbelievable?" Advent asked, looking towards me with a little confusion of her own.

"No…" I replied, trying not to offend her, "It's only that…the two of you…could be sisters! And please don't take this the wrong way…but you look far too young to-"

"I do not expect you to understand," Advent interrupted, a light smile on her face, "the entire dynamic of the Cyclonian Royal's family life is complex. Perhaps one day, I will let you in on our secrets. But discussing my personal life, is not why I am here. I assume you have heard the stories about a group called _the Twilight Knights_?"

"It's a children's bedtime story," I replied with a shrug, not thinking much of the subject, "Or, so I've been told."

"Then I take it you've never seen one of these," She smiled, placing something wrapped in a blue silk cloth in my hands. I pulled back the fabric, and immediately covered the object.

"This…" I gasped, "This…where…how did you get this!"

"Then you have seen one of our crests," Advent smiled, taking the item back from me, "It's the symbol of the Twilight Knights, my squadron."

"Your squadron?" I asked, looking over her. She said nothing. She just nodded with a slight smile across her face.

"That's what I've come to speak with you about," Advent began, handing me the silk package once again, "Something is headed Atmos' way. I can tell you that the storm you faced against Cyclonis will be dwarfed in comparison to what we will be facing soon enough. I need someone with your skills and your background in my squadron. Starling, I need _you_."

"Please don't take this the wrong way," I began, looking down at the wrapped crest in my hands, "But aren't there hundreds of Twilight Knights…I mean if what you're saying is true, and the Twilight Knights are real, and they're still in existence now…wouldn't the entire squadron be the size of a small army. What difference would I make?"

"You misunderstand me," Advent replied with a smile, "Certainly I don't keep track of hundreds of individuals in one group. Heaven's no. The Twilight Knights consist of several squadrons, battalions, platoons, whatever you want to call them…but I want you in mine…exclusively." She told me, gesturing me to follow her.

* * *

><p>"Oh my goodness," I began, walking on to the flight deck of the ship Advent called hers. Pristine and filled with some the most advanced crystal technology that far excelled anything I've seen on Atmos, It was unlike any other carrier I had ever seen. Not to mention, the flight deck was packed, wall to wall, with an unusual array of faces. I shouldn't have been so surprised though. When I pulled into the hangar bay of Advent's vessel (alone might I add), the quantity of rides was the first thing I noticed. So I knew it was going to be crowded.<p>

"Hello," Someone called from behind. I turned to see who it was addressing me. She was tall and willowy, with tan skin and long azure hair. She was maybe no older than twenty-four or twenty-five, "You must be our newest edition to the squadron…Starling? Right?" She asked, extending her hand out towards me.

"Yes," I replied, shaking her hand, "I'm sorry…you are?"

"Tarja," She explained with a slight smile, "But everyone here calls me Nova…it's in everyone's interest if you just call me Nova." She stated, laughing a little, "I'm the second in command here."

"Forgive me," I stated, snapping to attention and saluting her. She rolled her eyes at me and laughed slightly, taking my wrist and gently pulling my hand away from the corner of my eye.

"Please don't do that every time you see me," Nova replied looking up at me from under the red lenses of her glasses, "You'll learn we have far too much to do around here to deal with formalities all the time."

"Understood," I replied, trying to make an impression on this woman. From what I could tell, she wasn't too impressed. But she did seem to have an understanding of where I was coming from (even if she was a bit cold), "If you don't mind me asking…what exactly is our objective here?"

"No clue," Nova stated, walking into the center of the flight deck, where a large map of Atmos was laid out across, "You'll learn here that Advent doesn't tell us much. She points us in the direction she wants us to go, and we fight whoever she tells us to fight. No questions asked. Like I said, you'll learn."

"But what if I don't want to learn," I replied flatly, crossing my arms before her, "What if I decline Advent's offer…and what if I don't stay?"

"Then that's up to you," Nova replied with a smirk, "We can't make you stay here. After all, I'm sure you wouldn't like it very much anyway." She stated sarcastically.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked politely. I knew Nova was being cordial with me, but I didn't want to call her on it. I could tell just by her attitude, that politeness wasn't something that she was accustomed to, being second in command.

"I know quite a bit about you Starling," Nova smiled, resting her elbows on the table-map, looking up at me, "I know what happened to the interceptors of terra mesa, and I know that because of the incident, you've got an anti-team mentality. You claim to be this solo sky knight who can live without anyone by your side, when in reality, you're just scared you're going to loose the people you love once again. And, your scared of adapting to life with a squadron again. You don't want to coupe with your problems, but then again, nobody really does. Sorry about that little psycho-analysis, but if you'll stick around, you'd learn that everyone here has a past, and everyone here has a story…and I hate to break this to you sweetheart, some of them are a lot worse than yours."

"…so what's your story?" I asked, looking over to her. At first, I was angry, but I stopped and realized that she was right. I needed to move on, and I needed to stop acting like the only person with a past.

"Maybe, I'll tell you," Nova began, walking away from the table, "If you stick around…"

"Well then," I sighed, "Better get your story straight while you can…because you're going to tell me, at some point."

"I like your spunk," Nova stated, placing her hand on my shoulder as she walked past me, deeper on to the flight deck, "Advent was right you know…"

"Right about what?" I asked, sensing she wanted me to follow her.

"About you," Nova stated, turning to me, "She said that you'd be just the woman for our squadron. I'll have to see you in action…but you've definitely got the hypothetical balls to stand your own with some of these people."

"Thanks?" I replied, "I think…"

"Hey Aida!" Nova shouted, practically in my ear, "Get down here will ya!" She concluded. I don't know what I was expecting of Aida, but what I saw, definitely wasn't it.

"Yeah!" He chirped, heading towards us and away from the helm of the ship, "What's up Nova?" He asked, looking from me to her. I sincerely hope that the expression on my face didn't offend him at the time, because I honestly must have looked like I was in a state of shock.

"Aida this is Starling," Nova stated, gesturing to me, "I'd like you to show her around the Tempest, if you would."

"But…" The man named Aida began, pointing to the helm, "Who's going to…"

"INNES!" Nova then shouted (I instantly picked up that Nova liked to yell…a lot). A young man with cyan hair jumped up from the control panel beside the helm and tuned to her nervously, "You're in charge of piloting the ship until Aida gets back! Understood?"

"Yes miss Nova!" The nervous looking cyan haired boy replied, taking the helm.

"Now," Nova stated, turning to me, and the young man, "Show Starling Advent's proud vessel." She smiled, pushing the two of us out of the flight deck.

"So you're Starling huh?" Aida stated, politely with a smile (looking past my stunned expression), "It's nice to meet you, and have you as a part of the squadron!" He stated, taking my hand and shaking it, "Uhm…" He then began noticing that my expression was unchanging, "Oh…I get it…you've never seen a guy with pink hair before," He stated playfully, twirling his long bubblegum pink locks in between his fingers. It wasn't the hair, and I shook my head accordingly to let him know that it wasn't the hair, "Do I have something on my face?" He asked, lifting up his hand as though to wipe something away, "Is it my breath?" He then asked.

"Please don't be offended," I began, almost at a loss of what to say, "But it's your face…" The thing that made Aida so _awe inspiring_ was that, had it not been for the sound of his voice and his eye-catching pink locks, I would have thought he was the Dark Ace.

"My face?" He asked, curiously, cocking his head to the side, "My…OH! Yeah, about that. Anteres never really talked much about his family once he joined the Cyclonians, so it's not surprising that you don't know he had a twin!" Aida stated with a smile, "Not that he'd speak of me much anyway."

"A twin?" I asked, still looking to him with shock.

"Yes," Aida began jokingly, "Shocking, isn't it?"

"I'm so sorry," I replied, laughing slightly, "I feel like such a…a jerk! But what did you say his name was?"

"Anteres," Aida replied, with a slight shrug, "Although he hasn't gone by that name is years…what was it that they called him?"

"The Dark Ace," I replied accordingly, "At least that's what I knew him as."

"Yeah," Aida replied with a sigh, "Anyway! We're not here to talk about _him_. Come on…I'll show you to your room."

"My room?" I asked, following after Aida, down the white corridor.

"Yes," Aida replied with a slight laugh, "Advent made all of the preparations for all the knights coming. It's not like we'd make you sleep in the hangar."

"It's just that," I began, struck with a bit of nostalgia again, I must admit, "I haven't had a room on a carrier in years."

"You bunked in with the Storm Hawks a few times didn't you?" Aida then asked, turning to face me.

"A few times," I replied, looking into the pure white walls around me, wondering how it was that Aida knew that, "But then again…it's not really the same."

"Hmm…" Aida sighed, looking down at the floor, "Anyway!" He smiled, perking back up. He stopped in front of a large door, which slid open once the two of us approached, "This is the women's wing…I'm technically not supposed to be down here…but we can let the rules slide this once!" he smiled, gesturing for me to follow him down the large hallway. There were several white doors, spaced at a fair distance apart form one another. Each door had names on them, but I didn't take too much notice whom they belonged to, "Here we are!" Aida stated, stopping at one of the doors halfway down the hall. Sure enough, my name was on it. I think it was at that moment when the realization set it. I was in a squadron again.

"Hmm…" I thought, staring at the door. I must have looked sad, otherwise why would Aida have placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Go inside," He then stated after a minuet or so of silence. I nodded, and pushed the door open. There wasn't much to it. A bed, a dresser, a window, and a small bathroom to the side, all white, "There's no shower in there…but it is convenient, even if it is so small. Anyway, I'll show you the bathhouse later."

"Advent," I began, looking at the bright walls, "She likes white doesn't she…" I asked, turning to him.

"Don't think you have to keep it this way," Aida stated with a smile, "If you want, you can paint in here…The white kind of grinded on my nerves. Don't think you can't get stuff from home eith-" He began, stopping himself halfway through, "Uhm…never mind…I'm sorry…"

"It's okay," I smiled, turning to face him, "But there are a few things I'd like to get…if that's okay."

"Sure," Aida smiled, "We should finish the tour first…there's a lot to see."

* * *

><p><strong>[Message from KC, Please read!]: <strong>Okay, this is gonna be short, so here it goes: The prologue and the epilogue of this story will be written in third person omniscient. The rest of the story will be told through Starling's (and some of the other Twilight Knight's) perspective. Mostly Starling's because Overture is pretty much about her. However, when it comes time for the Twilight Knights to share their back stories, the story will be told through the perspective of that twilight knight. It sounds confusing but when you read the chapter it should make a lot more sense :3


	3. Chapter 2: Aida and Anteres

**[Message from KC]:** Wow! I actually updated Overture for a change! Holy crud! Anyway! So I particularly like Aida's story. Don't know why...just do. Anyway give it a read. give it a review. good to be back! Also of you haven't checked my dA page, go do so, I'm interested in running a Regiment of Twilight contest (a writing contest and I want to know if there is interest for it. So drop me a comment there in deviantArt too. The link is on my author's page :P so drop by and drop a comment! enjoy this long awaited and much needed chapted of overture!

* * *

><p>"And right through here," Aida began, opening the large hatch before him, "Is the botanica!" The room was enormous, but then again, the ship itself was vast on its own. I'd never seen something so beautiful and so calming in my life though. It was almost as if I had been lead into the garden of Eden, "Impressive isn't it?"<p>

"It is," I nodded, turning towards Aida, "It's beautiful actually…but…what is the purpose of this greenhouse?"

"None in particular," Aida replied with a slight shrug, "Advent likes the outdoors. Seeing as how we don't get too much _outdoor experience_ here on the Tempest, Advent decided to bring the outdoors to the ship. It's a great place to be alone and relax. And trust me, on this ship, you'll want to be alone…a lot!"

"I can believe that," I replied quietly, with a slight smile. It remained silent between the two of us then for several moments. I could hear the sounds of bird's calling, echoing off of the walls of the botanica, along with the sounds of waves lapping against the shore, "What's that sound?" I inquired, turning to him.

"The water?" Aida asked, "Yeah, there's a man-made lake in the center of the botanica…I'm not sure why, but I think it's a nice touch."

"Hmm…" I thought, looking around the botanica. I took a deep breath. The air was fresh and clean, rather than the stale smell of oil and metal that filled the rest of the ship. Without realizing it however, I had been standing silently, looking into space for quite some time.

"You okay?" Aida asked, snapping me out of my trance. I nodded, but noted that Aida was standing still in front of me, "You don't really want to be here…do you?"

"No," I replied immediately, because he was right. I didn't really want to be there, and he saw right through me, "I don't…but what choice did I have?"

"You always have choices Starling," Aida responded promptly, "Don't kid yourself on that. True, like all of us, Advent didn't give us _much_ of a choice, but she did give us one."

"I suppose that's true," I nodded in agreement. After all, I did choose to come, much to my own dismay, but I made the decision none the less. I let out a sigh, and tucked a strand of hair out of my face, "Aida, if you don't mind me asking…" I began, breaking off from my train of thought for only a few moments.

"Hmm," He asked curiously, turning to me.

"How is it that you came to be here," I began, looking over him. It wasn't as though I took a deep interest in him as a person, but of he did happen to be invited into the fabled Twilight Knights, as I was, I did wonder a bit as to how and why he was inducted.

"My story?" He asked with a slight smile. He gestured me to follow him, and the two of us walked deeper into the botanica.

"I mean…" I stated, laughing slightly, "I just want to know why Advent invited you. Not really your whole-"

"I hate to say it," He interrupted as he scratched the back of his head, "There's no 'bare-bones' or 'in a nutshell' version…If you really want to know, you've got to hear the entire thing. Besides you don't really want to hear my whole story anyway…being the brother of the _Dark Ace_ and all…It's kind of a downer…"

"I understand," I nodded with a sigh and a slight smile after a few moments of silence. I figured it would be best not to offend or upset anyone on my first day. Aida smiled back at me and took a deep breath, but I could tell his story wasn't a happy one or a good one, just by the look I saw in his eyes when I brought it up.

* * *

><p>Chapter II<p>

Aida and Anteres

Like I said before, my story, it's a bit of a downer. It's certainly not the biggest tear jerker on the tempest though. Wait till you hear about Nikolai and Zelkovitz. What they went through makes what happened to me seem like a cakewalk. But still, I supoose everyone has baggage.

My story begins on June thirtieth, twenty four years ago. It was a quiet day in summer, just as any other on my parent's estate in the Caylo isles. A pretty place, the islands floated above the terras of tropica. Now naturally, I don't know much about what happened on the day I was born, only from things that I've been told.

The streets of the Caylo Isles villages rang out with joy and celebration on that day as the townspeople cheered and shouted: Lord Caylo had bore a son! Sounds totally and completely lame and cheesy right? But apparently it's true. The day Anteres, or er…should I say the Dark Ace, and I were born, the people who lived in the villages below our family's estate celebrated for days, rejoicing in the fact that my father now finally had a successor.

However, technology wasn't quite where it was today, where it was twenty four years ago, if you catch my drift. My parents didn't quite anticipate there being two little bundles of joy inside my mom, and about ten minuets after Anteres was born, out I came. And truthfully, no one quite really knew what to do with me. That should have been taken as a sign. For what? That I was doomed to be a problem child.

But what do I mean by all this you might ask? Well for starters, when Anteres came sliding out of mommy dearest, immediately my father saw that he was in fact, well, a son and bequeathed to him the _family name_, Anteres Caylo the sixth. A proud, sturdy, somewhat pompous name that I have come to resent. This brings me to myself. Well my parents then had this second baby boy that they weren't anticipating on.

They had plans for Anteres. They knew what he was going to do with his life, what his name was going to be, everything for him was pre-charted. But, now there was another kid thrown into the mix, and truthfully, neither of my parents even knew what to _name _me. And that's how I got stuck with my repulsive name…Aida. Yes. In case you were wondering, it is a woman's name. She was my ancient ancestor, Aida Caylo the first…technically speaking, making me Aida Caylo the second, but who's counting right. Anyway, now you know what I mean by, I was doomed from the start. We have the first son who is destined for greatness, and the second son who is practically the boy named Sue.

Although I can't deny that for a time, life was okay. It wasn't good, it was just okay. Anteres was always the favorite, and I was always just good enough for my father, but I was never praised, and every time I did go above and beyond, it was swept under the rug. And truthfully, we didn't have much of a childhood. As kids, the both of us were constantly in being forced to study. Anteres was busy learning how to be a lord, and all the proper etiquette and graces that comes with it, and I had to learn to do so as well, along with learning all of the academic studies and the modern languages. Its what neither of us wanted, although, we were children, how could we have possibly known what we wanted to be when we were adults. Although, Anteres always did.

"I just don't want to be a Lord!" He grumbled, kicking up a pile of sand as the two of us walked along the beach that lined our parents estate. We were only nine at the time, and our only distinguishing features were our eyes, "How about this…you can be the Lord!"

"I don't wanna be a Lord either!" I whined, sitting down in the sand, "What if the new baby is a boy! How about they can be the lord of the terra! And we can do whatever we want! What do you wanna do anyway…I mean…if you don't wanna be a lord?"

"To be a Sky Knight!" Anteres replied boldly, looking up to the sky.

"Why do you wanna be a Sky Knight?" I asked, a little nervously, "You know dad doesn't like them!"

"You don't say _wanna_ Aida, you say _want to_," Anteres replied, correcting me, as always, "And who wouldn't want to be one!" He sighed, laying down in the sand and staring up at the sky, "To fly all day! Defending the terras from tyranny and evil! It's like the bedtime stories that mom used to read us when we were very little, about the Twilight Knights! Wouldn't you want to be a hero just like them?"

"I'd never be brave or strong enough to be in the Twilight Knights," I replied bashfully, laying down beside my brother, not realizing how wrong I was.

"Well the Twilight Knights aren't real," Anteres replied, rolling his eyes at me, still looking up at the sky, "But to join a _real_ squadron-"

"Like which one?" I asked, looking over to him. At first he was angry, he didn't like to be interrupted. But then he thought for a moment.

"I don't know," He replied, with a slight smile, "Anyone that would take me I guess."

"Well you're going to have to learn to fly then," I added with a slight sigh.

"Oh yeah…" Anteres replied, a little sadly, "And I don't really know how…"

"We're kids," I replied. And I was right for once in my life, after all, at the time we were only nine, "You shouldn't know."

"Aida," He asked me, after several minuets of silence. I turned and looked to him, "What if the new baby…that mom is having…what if it's a girl…"

"I don't know," I replied, "We'll figure it out."

"I just really don't want to be a Lord," Anteres began, burying his head into his knees as he began to cry, "I hate it!"

"You won't have to be," I replied, looking over to my older brother.

What I didn't know was, that I was presumably wrong in that moment of time. I say this, because a few months later, my mother went into labor. It was late one October evening, and once again, not only was the Caylo estate buzzing with anticipation, but so was the village. You see, we governed half of Dol Donnis, so marrying into our family meant controlling part of part of one of the largest terras on Atmos. So if my mother was having a daughter, it would be fortuitous for a lot of people, but not for my father. However, having another son would have alleviated a lot of problems, for me, Anteres, and my father. Sadly, this was not the case.

On a cold an rainy October seventeenth, at eight thirteen P.M. Lady Alara Caylo bore not one, but two daughters. Alinai and Aldese.

"What do you mean our new baby _sisters_?" I asked, as my father angrily paced the floor outside of my mothers room.

"Don't be so foolish Aida!" He shouted, turning to Anteres and I, "Your mother had twin girls! Just like you and your brother! Girls! The very notion of it!" He shouted, storming out of the hallway. Anteres didn't say a word. He just sat outside of the door as he listened to the sounds of our newborn sisters cry on the opposite side of the door.

"Sisters?" He asked in disbelief, looking up at me, "Sisters Aida! What are we going to do now? Father will never let a woman run the terra…"

"I don't know what to do," I replied, crying slightly as I sat down on the floor next to him.

Although, for Anteres and I, life went on. Anteres never entertained the idea of being a Sky Knight since the day of our sisters' birth, or at least he never spoke of it. Although I did catch him staring out of the window during our studies, looking up at the sky, perhaps wondering what it would be like to fly.

Four years went by, and with the four year passing, something came with it, technological advancements, which is where I finally found my love of something. Engineering and mechanics, and with the rise of Cyclonia at the time and the coming of war, there was a demand for advancement everywhere.

Now, my father always had armed forces stationed around the villages on the isles, but never like this before. For the first time in my life, as a thirteen year old, I had finally seen a skimmer.

"Their Switchblade Elites," My father began as his personal militia drove through the streets of the villages below, "Talon grade…"

"Wait…" Anteres began, turning to my father, "But the Cyclonians pilot Switchblade Elites!"

"I know," My father replied coolly and with a dark smile, "The Caylo isles specifically has sided with Cyclonia in this war…I believe their resources could better benefit our people in this time-"

"Father!" Anteres exclaimed. Even I was surprised. I had never seen Anteres stand up against my father about anything, "The Cyclonians are…are…"

"Are what Anteres?" My father snapped, looming over him, "They're a military super power and they're interested in our terra personally. They're even interested in building a base on Ciel."

"You can't let them do that!" I shouted, "Skyler and her family live on Ciel! Their our friends dad-"

"I've let those bohemian creatures leech off of this terra for long enough," My father replied darkly, "Now both of you be gone! You're both trying my patience!"

"How could he do this!" Anteres shouted, practically screaming as the two of us headed though the streets of the town that our estate overlooked, "How could he side with Cyclonia like that!"

"Just relax," I replied, trying to get him to calm down, "Listen…dad is a jerk, we've known that forever, I mean just look at how he treats Alinai and Aldese and they're only four!"

"It's just that…" Anteres began, leaning against a nearby wall, "I'll never get off this terra now…and I'll never be a sky knight…and even if I do…I don't want to be a talon…"

"Maybe you don't have to be!" I chimed, my face lighting up. I seized Anteres by the arm as something caught my attention across the square. I pulled him through the streets to one of the new garages that were built, where the sentries could have their rides repaired. Out front, I saw the most wonderful old and rusted Air Skimmer III Ultra. It looked like it had seen better days, and definitely needed work.

"How much for it!" I demanded, looking to the mechanic, He turned to me and scoffed, "I'm serious! How much for it!"

"Kid…that thing doesn't even fly," The grease monkey laughed turning back to his work.

"Aida come on," Anteres replied, pulling me away from the old skimmer, "It's not worth it okay?"

"If it doesn't fly…then give it to me," I demanded, pushing the mechanic for the ride. He turned to he and shot me a nasty look.

"What's a kid like you want with a ride like this anyway?" He scoffed, looking me over, "Too scrawny to be a talon…what's your angle?"

"It's not for me," I snapped, not bothering to look at the mechanic, just looking over what needed to be done to the skimmer. Thankfully, unbeknownst to everyone else, I already had some working skimmer parts at my disposal that I had been working with for just such an occasion. I figured, I didn't have a dream, so I could at least try and help Anteres with his.

"Two gold keys and it's yours," the mechanic replied sternly with a nod. I gave him a quick look and nodded.

"Done," I replied, turning back to the ride.

"Aida are toy crazy!" Anteres exclaimed, "For this hunk of junk! It doesn't even fly!" I just turned to him and smiled as the two of us wheeled the skimmer away from the garage.

"Trust me," I replied, "In no time…you'll be airborne."

"I sure hope you're right," He added, looking down at the ground, "Where are you going to keep this thing anyway? I mean…dad's not going to be happy to see you working on it…remember how he freaked out when you started messing with that old radio transmitter in your room?"

"Right," I nodded, remembering that I hadn't really thought this through, "We can hide it down by the beach! In the brush! We'll put a tarp over it. I can work on it by night."

"You are going to work on this at night?" Anteres asked, raising an eyebrow at me. I just smiled and nodded at him as we wheeled the bike further towards our destination, hoping not to be seen by our parents who might have decided to go for an afternoon stroll, "Well you're not going to work on this alone…I'll help."

"No," I replied immediately, shaking my head, "Sorry Anteres…but this is my thing…just like being a Sky Knight is yours…let me do this on my own okay?"

"Okay," Anteres replied with a slight smile, "But wait…I'm not a sky knight yet."

"But you will be," I smiled.


	4. Chapter 3: Aida and Anteres Part II

**[Message from Kingdom Come]: **Sorry this chapter is really long! It's also pretty dramatic :/ sorry for all the drama guys. But anyway, this is the last part of the Caylo brother's backstory! Yay! Now we can move on to the rest of the Twilight Knights. Also, a bit of a spoiler, but not really, The fight between Aida and Ace towards the end of the chapter, that is significant to something that's going to happen in the original regiment during the tournament. I think I said back when I started writing this that you don't necessarily have to read both, but this is one of those things where reading overture will definitely help you understand what's going on in the original story, now that we have Aida and the Dark Ace (Anteres)'s full backstory. Anyway! Hope you guys like the read! Enjoi!

* * *

><p>"And the hangar bay you've already been to," Aida continued, as we headed back to where we started, "And that would be all there is to see." He smiled.<p>

"So," I asked with a smile, "You're the pilot?"

"Most of the time," Aida replied with a slight smile, "Innes, my uhm…copilot…takes over when I make major repairs on the other Knights rides."

"Oh!" I began, as I leaned against my own ride, "So you're an engineer then?"

"Yeah," He replied, scratching the back of his head, "I guess you could say that…well, long story short, is that I'm here because of my engineering skills."

"You must be an impressive mechanic then," I began. I'll admit, I took a better look at Aida, and he didn't seem like the type. Perhaps it was the hair, or maybe it was just the fact that I couldn't get past the hair.

"Something like that," he replied, nervously, scratching the back of his head, "I mean…I keep telling you it's a long story…and it is, but Advent's not the reason I'm here."

"Then," I asked, turning to him, "Who is?"

"Well," He began, leaning against the wall beside me, "It was actually Nova." I raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue, but he just stood there, lost in thought for a moment.

"Are you alright?" I asked, leaning over towards him. He shook his head, returning to reality for a moment and nodded.

"Yeah I'm okay," He replied with a smile, "But like I said," He continued, "I'm the only Twilight Knight who wasn't approached by Advent…Nova she just…I don't know…she found me, I guess is the best way to put it."

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><p>Chapter III.<p>

Aida and Anteres (Part II)

"Aida what is it!" Anteres exclaimed, as I pulled him out of the house later that night. I'll never forget it. A year had gone by since the day I we found that old rusted skimmer laying lifeless outside of the garage.

"Just close your eyes!" I chimed, dragging Anteres down to the beach. Truthfully, I think he had forgotten all about the skimmer, but I hadn't.

"Fine," He grumbled, closing his eyes, "But make it quick! If father finds that we left the house without his permission at this late hour-"

"You'll never have to worry about that ever again!" I chirped, seizing his hand and taking him into the hidden clearing, "Wait right there!" I began, rushing over to the covered mound in the center of the clearing. I ripped away the tarp and stood proudly before my work, although it couldn't be seen very well through the light of the night and under the brush just off of the beach, "Alright…open your eyes."

"Oh…my…god!" He gasped, rushing towards the skimmer, in the center of the clearing, "Aida! How long have you been working on this!"

"About a year," I responded promptly and proudly, "And…it's held together with bubblegum and tape…but it'll get you from terra to terra…or off this one at least. It's not much."

"It's brilliant!" Anteres replied. I knew he wanted to hug me, but such 'displays of affection' were not permitted in out household, so I hugged him anyway, "But…what now."

"You leave," I replied with a shrug. After all, there was no more 'now whatting' to be done. The hard part was over, or so I had thought.

"But what about you?" He asked, running his hands over the machine, "I mean the hair was one thing…what is dad going to do when he finds out about this?"

"Right," I replied, running my fingers though my newly pinkened hair. Yes, to answer your question, it did not go over well. And to shorten an even longer story, it ended with me and my father in the courtyard of our estate with a bucket of freezing water and a bamboo shaft against my bare back. It sounds less painful then it actually is, "I'll be okay…You just need to go! I'll wheel this thing up to a safe place where you can take off. You go back up to the estate, and grab everything you need."

"Come with me!" Anteres then shouted, as I began running the skimmer up the beach (and having a difficult time might I add).

"What!" I exclaimed, turning around to face him, "Are you crazy! We can't both leave!"

"I'll need your help," Anteres began, looking over to me, "I can't fix this thing! Are _you_ crazy? I need your help Aida. Come with me."

"I can't believe I'm about to do this," I whispered to myself. I looked up to my brother and nodded. He smiled back at me as the two of us ran the skimmer up the beach and began pushing it up the hill. We set it alone for just a few moments as we silently ran back to our family's estate. I couldn't believe it that for the first time in my life I actually felt free.

We snuck inside and rushed into our bedrooms, and began packing immediately. It didn't take me very long at all. Maybe a minuet or two. I threw the satchel over my shoulder and quickly ran down the hall to Anteres' room. Without knocking, I pushed open the door. It was there where I saw him stuffing his clothes frantically into his bags.

"Are we really just going to leave?" He asked, closing the bag and hanging it over his shoulder.

"Maybe we should write a note," I replied, "You know…telling them that we're running away."

"Oh…" Anteres then added, just as I began taking a piece of parchment and a pen from the desk beside his bed, "by the way Aida…this is for you." He stated, placing a small bag in my hand, "I've been saving this stuff for a while…and I figured you spent all of your keys on fixing up that skimmer…so I owe you."

"Brother," I replied, looking down at the bag of money, "You're going to need this more than I will…"

"No," He replied, closing my hand around the bag, "It's yours…besides, I have enough to get by."

"What is going on in here?" A cold and harsh voice asked, as the two of us turned around in horror to face it. It was our father. He must have heard us, and regretfully, he caught us in the act.

"We're leaving!" Anteres growled, stepping out before him, "And there's nothing you can do about it."

"How dare you!" My father shouted, throwing his hand across my brother's face.

"Anteres!" I exclaimed, rushing to his side.

"I've been nothing but good to the both of you!" he growled, looking down at the both of us, "And this is how you two ingrates repay me!" He shouted, lifting up Anteres by the collar of his shirt.

"Leave him alone!" I shouted, instinctively, leaping towards him. It was as though someone else just took over. I grabbed him by the roots of his hair and with every ounce of strength I had left, I slammed him against a nearby wall, causing him to fall unconscious, for just a moment though, "Come on!" I shouted, lifting up Anteres as the two of us rushed out of the house. As quickly as we could, we headed down to where we had left the skimmer.

"After them!" We could hear my father shout as several footsteps then came rushing from the front gates of the estate. I panicked as Anteres and I climbed on to the skimmer.

"Do you know how to fly this thing!" He asked, as I ignited the engine.

"Of course I do!" I replied, "All you have to do is steer!" I replied as he gripped the throttle and the skimmer took off. I pulled up on the latch and the wings extended as the vehicle took off into the air. We were so close, however I made one fatal mistake. As we were taking off, I forgot to hold on to something, and fell crashing to the ground as Anteres continued through the air.

"Aida!" He shouted, moving to turn the skimmer around.

"Just keep flying!" I shouted, as I felt someone lift me up off of the ground and restrain my arms, "I'll be okay!" And that would be the last time we'd ever see each other for ten years.

Needless to say, I was punished, severely. Not to mention word spread around the isles like wildfire about how their precious inheritor, Anteres Caylo the sixth flew away into the night with the assistance of his delinquent twin. To the town's dismay they now had to settle for sloppy seconds, or me, would my father have me. Thank god I was considered a disgrace for helping Anteres escape, and so the title of Lord of the Caylo Isles would go to the first man who married one of my sisters. Truthfully, from that point on, I wasn't really even welcome in the home I grew up in. But I truly had no idea the damage that I would be causing to everyone by helping Anteres leave that night.

"Keep in mind Aida," My mother told me, a few weeks later, "That you are a guest in this house. Your father has been gracious enough to let you stay-"

"_Gracious _isn't exactly a word I would use," I replied coldly to her.

"Aida!" She recanted, turning to me and giving me a sharp look, "I am perfectly serious! The only reason you have yet to be turned out into the streets is because you are _my _son as well as your father's and I still want you to stay! But if you continue to act against him and continue on this path of reckless behavior, I must agree with him. I just wish he hadn't laid his hands on you…" She sighed, brushing my hair out of my face to reveal the bruises, and the stitches across my forehead. The rest of my marks were in places that could be concealed easily by clothing, so the villagers and guests of my father wouldn't ask questions if they saw whenever they happened to be around. Although, everyone knows what my father did to me that night. Like I said, the news spread like wildfire.

"I'm sorry mother," I replied, looking down at the ground, "I'll…I'll try! I promise."

"Thank you," She smiled, sitting down beside me and placing her arm around my shoulder, "But I must ask…why did you help Anteres run away?"

"Because mother," I replied, looking up to her, "He hated it here…"

"Yes," She replied with a slight sigh, "And you just did what I wasn't brave enough to let him do in the first place. I only wish better for you." She smiled, running her hands through my now pink hair, "And I don't care what your father says…I like your hair…it matches your eyes."

"Thank you mother," I replied. At the time, I was just a stupid teenager, really unaware of what I'd done, but I had absolutely no idea of how far my mother had truly stuck out her neck for me. After all, if it were up to my father, I'd be dead.

However, there was some happy news in all of this, at least, it was only happy for a bit. About two months had passed since I had last seen my brother, when a shabby looking letter arrived for me at our estate. It was mid morning, and the family was gathered around the table in the dining room, going about morning business as usual. My mother was combing through Alinai's hair and I was listening to Aldese talk about the various things she wanted to be when she grew up while my father sat at the head of the table reading the paper. One of the servants walked into the room, holding a silver tray, with the letter sitting on top.

"There's a letter for you sir," He began, dropping the tray to my eye level. I took it and smiled, dismissing the servant as he headed out of the room. Surely enough, my name was scrawled across the paper.

"Who's it from?" Aldese asked, standing up on her chair and trying to look over my shoulder (After all, she was only five at the time).

"Aldese, please!" My mother began, "Sit down." She snapped as Aldese sat down in the chair, and I opened the envelope. I immediately recognized the handwriting though.

"It's from Anteres," I began, reading the letter quietly to myself. The entire family perked up and took interest then as my mother and sisters gathered around me to get a better read of the letter, "He's doing well. He's living on a carrier…he's joined a squadron!" I exclaimed, with relief, clutching the letter to my chest.

"He's been knighted!" My father demanded, looking over to me with disbelief, "In two moths! That's unaccountable-"

"No," I interrupted, "He's under apprenticeship with the Sky Knight of…the Storm Hawks! He's acting as a co-pilot to Lightning Strike for now until he can undergo the trials, but it says that he would like to learn more about being in a squadron first."

"He's a lowly co-pilot!" My father growled, crossing his arms, scoffing at the notion. I thought it was wonderful, and at fourteen too.

"He says that if we could stop by terra Atmosia," I continued, ignoring my father's quips, "Then he would be more than happy to show us around the condor and the Storm Hawks would happily host us."

"Oh how wonderful!" My mother smiled, hugging me tightly as she read the letter over my shoulder, "What an opportunity! And Terra Atmosia! Why, as a matter of fact, I've never been!"

"Papa! Can we go!" Aldese chirped, looking up from the letter.

"Oh please father," Alinai smiled, asking properly.

"Hmph," He responded to the both of them, returning to his paper.

"Father the carriage," I asked, trying to reclaim his attention, "To terra Atmosia…"

"Certainly not," He replied haughtily, looking down at the paper, "Or do you all forget that this is a Cyclonian terra now?"

"Oh but dearest," My mother began, walking up beside my father's chair, "Can't we let this silly war be for just one day?"

"No," My father growled, rising to his feet, "And as far as I am concerned, Our son is no longer welcome on the Caylo isles as long as he is a Storm Hawk!" He shouted, as my heart dropped into my feet, "The both of you should have thought about that before you started on this ridiculous sky knight venture!" He snapped, leaving the room.

Yeah, in case you were wondering, I really did make a mess of things. The former golden boy of the Caylo isles was now public enemy number one, and I was to blame. Not to mention, I was a stranger in my own home. Things could have been better. But life went on, as always did. Four years passed, and Anteres and I wrote each other and he wrote to the others in the family frequently. Once Ali and Aldese had the skills they wrote him and he wrote back. The only person who he didn't communicate with was my father. Understandable, given the circumstances.

But like I said, life went on. I didn't do much engineering work, given that the nostalgia of it just kind of upset me, so I went about my days reading, studying, and trying to do what normal eighteen year old boys did at that age, which was hard, given that they're typically supposed to be chasing after girls right? Well I was attracted to girls, don't get me wrong, I had some suitors that I was interested in. I just wasn't as interested in them as I was boys. So, given that I was already kind of hated in my own house, I just kept my sexuality crisis to myself. But my sexuality was the least of my problems.

It was a cold December morning when I walked into the foyer of my family's estate. It was there where I saw my mother clutching a letter, and crying.

"The Sky Knight council has officially declared war against Cyclonia," My mother sobbed, turning to me, "the Storm Hawks will be leading the assault on Cyclonia tomorrow!" She wailed, as she handed me the letter from Anteres. I took it accordingly.

"What should we do?" I asked, looking over to her, slightly panicked.

"Do not tell your father!" She exclaimed, tears still in her eyes, "Take that letter and burn it! He mustn't know about the attack!"

"Okay," I replied with a nod, clutching the letter in my hands.

"Aida," She cried, "What if he's killed! I can't bear it!"

"He'll be just fine," I began, wrapping my arms around her, "He's tougher than you think mother…I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Oh Aida…" She began wiping the tears away from her eyes, "I hope so!"

The rest of the day seemed to drag on for eternity. My mother and I just waited for the end to come so the next day would arrive, and with it the assault on Cyclonia.

"Aida?" Aldese began, walking out into the rock garden, where I sat, alone, thinking about what might become of this, "Are you okay?"

"No," I replied, instinctively bursting into tears in front of her, "No Aldese I'm not okay!" She sat down next to me and tried to console me, but after all she was nine now, and had no idea what was going on. She didn't know what a mess I had made of everything. And so, I waited in agony for the next day to come. When it did, I wished it hadn't.

I was sitting outside, although, I don't know why. It was freezing on that day, and raining a little. I was reading, just trying to pass the time, although, I was just waiting for news, any kind of news. It was about noon when a servant then made his way into the gardens where I was.

"Lord Caylo has requested your presence in the foyer sir," He stated, giving me a quick bow and then leaving. My heart jumped into my throat as I rushed into the estate, through the halls and down the staircase and into the foyer, where I saw my father standing before the door, not making a sound. I had assumed either one of two things to warrant his motionless and vacant expression. Either A.) The Sky Knights won and Cyclonia had fallen. Or B.) Anteres was dead. Neither would bode well for me, but I was praying to the powers that be that it was option A.

"Come here Aida," My father stated sternly as I descended the staircase. He turned around to face me. His face was blank, and I was terrified. I couldn't move. I just stood still on the last step of the staircase, hoping he would just tell me from where he stood. But he then walked towards me. My heart pounded in my chest once he reached me. And I was not expecting what was coming next.

"Y-yes father?" I asked quietly, expecting to be beaten where I stood. Before he could even answer, I suddenly felt arms wrap around me. I was shocked and stunned. For the first time in my life, my father had made non-violent physical contact with me.

"Thank you," He began once he let go of me, smiling as he did do.

"What did I do?" I asked, still shocked and confused.

"The Storm Hawks have fallen," My father stated proudly, holding me by the shoulders, "And the Sky Knights have failed! Cyclonia won! And your brother…helped in stopping the assault!"

"…what?" I began, my eyes wide and sounding even more dumbstruck.

"He gave the intelligence reports to Cyclonian officials before the assault!" My father exclaimed, overjoyed at the fact that Anteres was now a traitor, "He's being rewarded and is going to be a Commander in the armada! And he would never be there if it wasn't for you! Aida Caylo, you are no longer a guest in this house, but once again my son and a hero on this terra!" he stated, but I was still in shock.

"What…what do you mean-" I began, completely at a loss for words.

"A commander!" My father laughed, walking out of the foyer, "And at eighteen too!"

But I was beside myself. I was sick. I felt betrayed and lied to, and I felt selfish because I'm sure Atmos was feeling betrayed and lied to, but had it not been for me, setting the wheel in motion, this wouldn't have happened.

I never spoke to Anteres after that day. My family went to visit him on Cyclonia on several occasions, at least my mother and father did (my sisters weren't old enough yet), and I never responded to any of his letters. They were pompous and arrogant. He just changed so much, and I didn't want to have anything to do with him, not after what he had done. Regardless, four years would pass between the time of the assault and the next time Anteres returned home. Needless to say, his first visit back would seemingly not end well, for me anyway.

So, I did say that this story was long, but there was a lot of build up to it! You know, plenty of drama and all that jazz! But on the night that Anteres would return home for the first time, would also be the same night, when my life would change forever. This was the night when I became a Twilight Knight.

It was September. The air was cool, and it was about seven o'clock in the evening, I'll never forget.

"Well well Aida," I remember Anteres call to me just as he stepped off the unnecessarily large carrier that the Master had commissioned for him. My father looked at him as though he was some sort of messiah, "It's been a while hasn't it…I see you're just as eccentric as usual." He stated, looking me over as though I had a disease.

"It's been a while Anteres," I smiled, nodding, even though I was trying to overlook the fact that he was trying to act better than myself, "Congratulations on becoming a commander."

"We're so, so proud of you my dear," My mother swooned, taking Anteres in her arms as though he were a priceless gem.

"What a legacy you've created for the Caylo name," My father doted, "A commander in the Cyclonian fleet sounds much more impressive than a copilot for some terra-less sky knight! Wouldn't you agree Aida?"

"Except there's no honor in it," I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes as the family fawned over Anteres.

"You have something to say, _little _brother?" Anteres growled, glaring over at me. He had never acted like this before, like he was superior to anyone. It worried me.

"No…" I replied flatly, looking over to him, "I was just remarking that you are in a noble profession…that's all."

"That's what I thought," He replied, turning his face away from me.

"So can I come and stay with you on Cyclonia some time?" My sister, Alinai, asked, walking alongside Anteres, who acted as though he had no interest in seeing his two younger sisters at all.

"That is absolutely out of the question!" My father snapped, even before Anteres could answer, "How dare you impose on your brother like that Alinai!"

"I think she's of age father," I began, turning to him.

"And who are you to decide if someone is of age or not?" Anteres snapped, turning to me, looking me over with the _you're scum_ look again.

"She's thirteen years old!" I replied haughtily, "I think she's old enough to spend a few days on Cyclonia with her older brother who _twenty-two_ and who is also a commander in the armada."

"I have better things to do than to babysit my sisters all day," Anteres replied, arrogantly, trying to dismiss the fact that I had valid points. I looked over to Alinai and Aldese. They looked hurt, and I didn't blame them.

So, we went inside after our cold greeting and immediately sat down to the 'welcome home' dinner. It was not as 'welcome' as I would have hoped. It was a lot of Anteres and my father just talking about how wonderful Master Cyclonis was and how the master who was to succeed her will be just as wonderful and the armada was wonderful and terra is wonderful and the talons are wonderful and they just all sit around Cyclonia all day and soak up each other's wonderfulness! It was enough to make one projectile vomit. But that wasn't the worst part.

"So Aida," Anteres began, turning the attention towards me, "Since I am sooo busy being a commander, I don't particularly have time for a wife, but you do. So, when are you getting married?"

"Oh yes," My father began, turning to me, "I was wondering when you might single out a companion for your wife."

"What if I don't want to get married," I replied, trying to shift the attention off of me. So remember that whole sexuality crisis I touched on earlier, yeah, it's about to become kind if important about now.

"Oh but you must get married to someone," My father began, rolling his eyes, "Or else how can you-"

"I like boys okay!" I exclaimed. I don't know why I said it. It just came out. I had been bottling it up for so long and it just felt so fantastic to let it off of my chest, but the room was silent, and all staring at me.

"…what?" My father responded, with a stunned reaction.

"I-I…" I began, trying to recover from what I said.

"Get out…" He hissed, rising up from the table. I just looked at him, with a completely lost expression, "I said…get out…" I obeyed him. I rose up from the table and rushed out of the room. I heard a chair pull out from the table behind me, along with footsteps. As I walked though the foyer I heard my father yelling something, and my mother trying to reason with him, which begged the question, who was following me, but then again, I didn't really care. I immediately headed outside and headed down to the beach behind our estate. I didn't know where I was going, but I just knew I was going somewhere.

"Aida!" Anteres exclaimed, chasing after me, as I rushed down the beach, "Aida come back! Talk to me!"

"Get the hell away from me Anteres!" I growled, turning around to face him. He looked surprised, maybe given that he had never seen me so angry before.

"Aida what's going on here?" He demanded, in that pompous and arrogant tone. And that's what finally set me over the edge.

"What's going on?" I replied, taking a step towards him, "WHAT'S GOING ON! What the hell Anteres! You lied to me! I stuck my neck out for you! I made sacrifices for you! I ruined my relationship with my father, my relationship with my family, and I ruined my god damn life to make you god damn dream of becoming a sky knight come true! I haven't been welcome in my house for four fucking years Anteres!" I screamed, as he watched me, completely dumbfounded and at a loss for words.

"Aida…" He began.

"NO!" I shouted, "Don't you dare! Don't you try and make this right for me! Not now, you've got no right…not after what you've done! As a matter of fact, you can't make this right! See this!" I growled, pushing the hair out of my forehead to reveal the dark scar that's usually hidden, "I got this the night I helped you run away…you want to know what dad used to give it to me? Huh? Do ya Anteres? A candlestick, one of the pewter ones in the dining room. It took fourteen stitches! And that's not all he did!"

"…I…I can't imagine what you've been through," Anteres began, looking down at the ground.

"Shut up!" I shouted, "I've been trapped here for eight years while you played sky knight. And all I could think about was how I did some good in the world by helping my older brother make his dream come true. But you lied to me…"

"I never lied to you Aida," Anteres began, jumping to his defense, "I was just…keeping a secret…that's all."

"No," I replied, "That's called lying…and you don't keep secrets like that! Especially after all that I've done! All the damage control I've had to do! All the cleaning up I had to do after you got to kiss this place goodbye forever. YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME!" I screamed, tears running down my face.

"I didn't have to tell you anything!" Anteres shouted.

"I'M YOUR BROTHER!" I cried, "You owed me that! At least! If it weren't for me you'd still be here practicing your table manners and stuck in an arranged marriage to some gap-toothed nobleman's daughter! I picked you up off the floor by your shoulders and dusted you off! I was the one who got you a ride! I fixed it up for you with nothing but a few screws and some tape! I got you to where you are now! And you treat me with arrogance and sarcasm! You've no idea the magnitude of what you've done do you!"

"You couldn't possibly understand," He replied. I seized him by the collar of his talon uniform and pushed him down to the ground.

"I hate you…" I told him, tears running down my face "I hate you so much right now…and I wish you everything that your karma owes you, for what you put me through and for what you did to the Storm Hawks." I quivered before turning away from him and running away from that house. I didn't know that I'd never go back there ever again.

I ran for what felt like hours, and it had begun to rain, heavily. I stopped and saw a nearby shore cave. They often revealed themselves at low tide, so I ran inside for shelter. I sat down on the soaked ground of the cave, and I thought. I didn't know where to go. I couldn't go back home, and I couldn't go into town, so perhaps I could become a cave person…no…that wouldn't work. I leaned my head against the wall of the cave, and once again, I began to cry. I didn't notice anything. I didn't hear anything. I just sat in the cave and cried, thinking about how badly I screwed up.

"OH DAMNIT!" I heard a voice then shout somewhere outside of the cave. I stumbled out, trying to dry my eyes as best I could, which wasn't easy, seeing as how I was soaked. It was there where I found a young woman laying down on the beach, a smoking skimmer crashed next to her.

"Wait right there!" I shouted, jumping down from the cave, and heading over towards her.

"Thank god," She growled, "I could use some help! This piece of crap copped out on me in mid flight! Where the hell am I anyway!"

"You're on the Caylo Isles," I began rushing up beside her to see if she was okay.

"I'm okay," She grumbled, pushing me away. She then hissed in pain and I looked down at her leg, and truthfully, it was pretty bad.

"It looks broken," I stated, taking the first layer of my yukata off of my body and ripping it into shreds. I found two sizable and straight sticks and helped the woman fashion a splint as we tied it around her leg.

"Thanks for the help by the way…what's your name anyway?" She asked as I secured the splint and moved to her ride.

"Aida," I replied, standing the vehicle upright as best I could, "What about you?"

"The name's Tarja…Tarja Nova…but just call me Nova okay?" She stated. So, now you know where I'm going with this.

"Oh wow," I began, looking over the entire set up of her skimmer, "Uh…it's no wonder you crashed…who the hell is your mechanic."

"Our squadron doesn't have one," She stated flatly, "We do what work we can by ourselves…actually…right now…I do all the work I can by myself."

"Do you have any tools?" I asked, looking up from the engine and to her, "I can fix it…but not with my bare hands."

"Yeah," Nova nodded, "Some…In the back compartment…are you sure you can fix this thing?"

"I'll have it in working order in a day," I replied, looking over what she had in the compartment. More than I could hope for. A socket wrench, a few nuts and bolts, and a couple of spare parts just in case. If a normal mechanic saw this, they would think it was sad, but normal mechanics don't get a skimmer in working order from bubblegum and paperclips at fourteen either.

"So," Nova asked me. It was much later in the day, and I had used up what little she had in her compartment, so now it was time to improvise, "What's your story kid?"

"I'm not a kid," I replied, "I'm twenty-two…and it's kind if long…"

"You see us going anywhere?" She scoffed, looking around, then to her ride, and then to her leg.

"Okay," I began, taking in a big sigh. So, everything I've told you, I told her. Long story short that is, "And now…I'm here…helping you…"

"Phew!" She began, laying down on the sand, "That's some intense shit Aida!"

"You're telling me…" I replied sadly, continuing my work, "Say what are you doing out here anyway? This is a Cyclonian terra and aren't you a sky knight?"

"That's Twilight Knight business…" Nova responded flatly, "Can't discuss that with you…oh crap…"

"You're…a twilight knight…" I asked, completely skeptical at first.

"I swear to Jevanni and the old gods above," Nova began, drawing a crystal gun and pointing it in my face, "If you tell anyone we met or spoke…I will kill you…"

"I swear on my life!" I replied immediately, just wanting her to take gun out of my face. I turned back to the ride. I don't expect anyone to understand, skimmer mechanics that is, but it was still a mess, and given the situation, it's not like I could have gone back into town to but parts for it. However, it was flyable and it would get Nova off of the island.

"You're good," I began rising to my feet and closing the engine compartment.

"That is not going to fly," Nova scoffed, looking over to her ride, "There was no way you'd get that thing airborne with what you had on hand!"

"I'll prove you wrong," I replied with a smile, "Go ahead, get outta here."

"Uhm…" Nova began, crossing her arms, and nodding to her leg, "Can't really pilot this thing with a broken leg now can I? You're gonna have to do it for me."

"I…I can't," I began, looking back up the beach, in the direction of my former home.

"What…" Nova began, "You said it yourself…you don't have a home to go to. Help me fly my skimmer back to where I need to get to. You helped me out of a jam…now lemme help you."

And so I did. I flew Nova and her skimmer back to the Tempest, which was floating about ten clicks from tropica, so it wasn't too far from our initial location. Which was a good thing, because I really don't think her ride would have made it much father. The two of us touched down in the hangar bay where I met with two other soon to be familiar faces. The first, was Cyrus, and the second was Advent. Both of them didn't look at all thrilled by my presence.

"Nova?" Advent asked, walking up to her, "What's going on here?"

"Hear me out," Nova began, "This kid had talent…and we not only need a pilot…but we need a mechanic…" Nova and Advent then whispered between one another for a long time. It looked as though they were having an extreme disagreement.

"Fine," Advent sighed, obviously giving up on fighting Nova, "I will trust your judgment, but just this once! From now on, I assess all future Twilight Knights…Aida Caylo…" She began, turning to me. I snapped to attention. I must have looked terrified, "I am offering you a position as carrier pilot and mechanic in the Twilight Knights."

"I accept!" I replied immediately. After all, what did I have to loose?


End file.
